Hello Bye Bye: Let's live happy waiting for our dying day

With the end of the world expected before the weekend, a good excuse for a the track  Let's live happy waiting for our dying day by Bordeaux band Hello Bye Bye.

The track came out one a six track ep released at the beginning of this month, which includes two parts of this track and a very fine cover of the Pixies classic Where is my Mind.

Hello Bye Bye released their rebut album in 2010 and have played live extensively, developing their sound that sits somewhere in a fertile interzone between electro and rock.

They give credit to the Charlatans, Chemical Brothers and Scorpio Rising era Death in Vegas, and while they don't exactly sound like any of these acts, you can see the connection in the way they fuse sounds together, or as they put it, their inability to choose between speaking to the body and speaking to the heart.

A video for the track  Let's live happy waiting for our dying day is being filmed on Saturday and Sunday. If the world still exists, as the band note...

Gojira: L'Enfant Sauvage

This week ween the long-awaited release of L'Enfant Sauvage, the new album by world-class French rock act Gojira.

The band's career so far has earned them the respect of an international audience, I'm certain this will put them in the first division of the rock scene.

While a rock act through and through, they've remained true to the scene but continued to push its boundaries, incorporating elements from across sub gentres at the extreme end of the spectrum.

While they appeal to fans of thrash or death metal, their music is shot through with a progressive and experimental attitude.

The band are originally from Bayonne, and have been active since '96, changing their name from Godzilla in 2001. L'Enfant Sauvage is their fifth album.

This live track is from the deluxe edition of l'Enfant Sauvage, and was recorded in 2009 at the Les Eurockéennes festival. The track originally came from their 2008 album The Way of All Flesh.

Carlos: Allez La France!

Another outing for the French national team tonight, this time against Sweden.

By the looks of things, les Bleues have booked their place in the next round, but hopefully a victory will put them through the group stages undefeated.

So another excuse for one of the tunes that taste forgot, 1998's Allez La France by Carlos, a curious piece of music involving 80s rock, guitar solos and cheerleaders.

Its one from the Vindaloo school of football songs.

Needless today, that was the campaign that saw France win the biggest footballing trophy in teh world.

Carlos was a well-known entertainer, who worked with Johnny Hallyday in the early 60s, and Sylvie Vartin in the mi6 60s to early 70s. He also had his own musical career that spanned the decades from the 60s until his death in 2008, as well as a cartoon series and tv and radio appearances.

Superbus: All Alone

A new single by the band Superbus entitled All Alone.

The band are a five piece, formed in 1999 by singer songwriter Jennifer Ayache, released their first album Aéromusical in 2002.

Superbus won the Best French Act award at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2006 and in 2008 won the NRJ Music Award of the Best French Music Band

Their most recent album Lova Lova came out in 2009, with a greatest hits album Happy BusDay coming out the following year.

The new album is due to be released in September and a tour of France is set to take place in November and December, with dates in Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Rétro: Johnny Hallyday - Tous Ensemble

With Euro 2012 kicking off, and France playing England on Sunday there's no better reason to revive one of the official songs for Les Bleues that have been released over the years.

Football songs are always going to be a strange proposition, a collision between two normally very different worlds and caught between doing something serious and anthemic or self-depreciating novelty.

So if ever there was someone up to the task it is Mr Johnny Hallyday.

The song was released for the 2002 World Cup, in Japan and South Korea and went to number one in France.

Sadly, the team didn't do quite so well, failing to repeat their 1998 win. They were eliminated from the first round without scoring a goal, defeated by Senegal and Denmark.

Johnny, however, went on to put another in the net later that year with another number one in France with the song Marie.

M83: Reunion

The video finally surfaces for M83's new single Reunion, the second track to be released as a single from last year's Hurry up, we're dreaming album.

I featured M83 just the other day, but given that they are very much at the forefront of what's happening in French music at the moment, I'm sure I can be forgiven.

The video will certainly get the song some more attention, and it will probably embed itself into the public's ear every bit as much as its predecessor Midnight City.

The album's certainly getting the kind of growing attention that is quite rare these days, when record companies just seem to aim for the biggest sales as quickly as possible. While it's already been a huge seller, I reckon even more people will be won over by the charms of M83 on the strength of this track.

I wonder what products it will be used to advertise and what TV events it will  promote? It's certainly got that epic feeling that TV producers of events like the Olympics or the Euro 2012 football will like. I'm sure Nokia mobile phones are already getting their campaign together given that one of their phones gets a bit of an appearance in the video.

The release of Reunion also sees a host of remixes of the track, by the likes of Mylo,

Thomas Dutronc: Turlututu

A new video by Thomas Dutronc, for the track Turlututu, the third single from his Silence on tourne, on tourne en rond album.

Dutronc dislays a sense of humour similar to that of his father, in that he is simulaneously a syle icon and a mocker of the idea of syle. The image of Dutronc in the headset is a nod to a portrait photo of Dutronc pere from 1970.

However, not only is the headset a bit more modern, but it seems that fish have also changed a bit in the intervening decades.

The song shows again that Dutronc, although continuing in the family business, is very much his own man. His gypsy guitar sound gives his work a signature sound that brings a traditional style into a modern context.

The video reminds me of some of the videos by Calvin Harris, although musically it probably could't be more different.

Dutronc's album came out in October 2011, and he's playing dates across France over the summer including festival dates in May, June, July and August.

Editorial: May 2012

Another record month for the blog in April, the number of visitors conmfortably beating our previous record.

Also, it's high time to give the sight a quick lick of paint. That should be apparent in the next couple of days.

Again, some strong new releases on the schedule for the month ahead, and the with the summer festival season getting into gear there will also be some great performances to get excited about.

Meanwhile, there's the small matter of a president to sort out.

Thanks again to PR people and bands who have been in touch, it's always very encouraging to get feedback about the site.

As always, I can be contacted at johnkilbrideAThotmailDOTcom, with the AT and DOT substituted with the appropriate punctuation.

Merci et à bientôt

jk

Amadou and Mariam feat. Bertrand Cantat: Oh Amadou

A new track from Malian duo Amadou and Mariam featuring former Noir Désir singer Bertrand Cantat.

The track comes from the new Amadou and Mariam, Folila, which was released in France this week.

The album sees them collaborate with other Western artists including Santigold, TV on the radio and Jake Shears from the Scissor Sisters.

The duo have been releasing material outside Africa since the late 90s when they relocated to Paris, and while they enjoyed a a successful career, their 2004 album Dimanche à Bamako that saw them collaborate with Manu Chao giving them a huge international exposure. The album won a Victoire de la Musique best World Music album of the year award.

They went on appear at some of the biggest music festivals in the world, including Coachella, the Lollapalooza tour and Glastonbury, and supported U2 on tour.

While Amadou and Mariam are among the best-known ambassadors for their country, Bertrand Cantat remains a deeply controversial figure in light of events outwith his musical career. Many will never forgive him for killing his girlfriend and see his continuing public career as an endorsement of domestic violence.

Even with Cantat serving four years of an eight year sentence, and Noir Désir finally calling it quits, the question on whether or not Cantat deserves to be critically rehabilitated is unanswered.

Cantat recently collaborated with Shaka Ponk, and it seems that his involvement in music is quite different from the material he made his name with in the days of Noir Désir.

The debate about Cantat will continue to rage. While it does, a song that effortlessly returns blues-flavoured rock to its African roots merits your attention.

Live: Yeti Lane tour dates

Yeti Lane begin a UK tour today, on the back of the release of their new album The Echo Show, released on Sonic Cathedral records on Monday.

The Paris-based duo bring their 21st century take on progressive psych to six venues across the UK:

March 13: LONDON Hoxton Bar and Kitchen
March 14: BRISTOL The Cooler
March 15: MANCHESTER Ruby Lounge
March 16: LIVERPOOL Static Gallery
March 17: LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
March 18: GLASGOW King Tuts

Following the UK dates they play in France.

The new album, their second, follows their debut two years ago.

As well as the new release, a remix of the track Sparkling Sunbeam by former Spaceman Three cosmonaut Sonic Boom has been made available online.

Victoires de la Musique 2012: Winners

With the Victoires de la Musique 2012 awards ceremony at the weekend, one of the high points of the awards season saw some of the country's biggest acts rewarded for their success, both artistic and commercial, over the preceding year.

Two wins for Orelsan and M this year, and for once an award ceremony that wasn't dominated by Adele.

This year's roll of honour was:

Male artist: Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine

Female artist: Catherine Ringer

Breakthough artist (public vote): Orelsan

Breakthrough artist: Brigitte

Chanson album: Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine - Suppléments de mensonge

Rock album: Izïa - So much trouble

Urban music album: Orelsan - Le chant des sirènes

World music album: Jehro - Cantina paradise

Elecronic or dance album: Justice - Audio, video, disco

Original song: Laurent Voulzy - Jeanne

Show concert or tour: Roc'éclair tour - Jean-Louis Aubert

Video: Vanessa Paradis & M - La Seine

Music DVD: M - Les saisons de passage

The ceremony programme can be watched online at this page for the next few days: http://www.pluzz.fr/victoires-de-la-musique.html

Rétro: Francis Cabrel and Shakira: Je l'aime a mourir

With Shakira taking a classic French song to the top of the country's charts, I thought a mention of the song Je l'aime a Mourir was appropriate.

The song , originally by Francis Cabrel, featured on his 1979 second album Les Chemins de Traverse.

It was Cabrel's biggest hit, a commercial high point in a long career, and was number one for five weeks in 1979.

However, Shakira probably became more aware of the song though Spanish language versions of the song.

Cabrel recording one himself - under the title La Quiero a Morir in 1979 for his Spanish language album Algo más de Amor. A cover by Sergio Vargas in 1986 later became a big hit in Latin American countries.

Shakira's cover of the song, in French and Spanish, reached number one in the French charts and was there for several weeks. She performed her version of the song at the NRJ Music Awards.

Shakira became the first Colombian to be honored by France as a Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in January.


Francis Cabrel (unplugged) version:

Francis Cabrel-Je l'aime à mourir by manon42


Shakira version from the NRJ Awards

Comett: Once Upon a Time/The City of Lights

A mention for the single Once Upon a Time/The City of Lights by French band Comett.

France currently has a well-deserved reputation for electro pop releases, and this is certainly one of the best I've heard recently.

The band is a duo, Alex and Julien, that has been active since 2005, releasing their first EP that year. They have not released much over the years, but they are working on their debut album.

In recent years they have collaborated with graphic designer Ozano to produce their striking visual identity, which they've made the most of in this memorable video.

The video was made by production company Les lapins de l'espace and features a character who has been named Cosmo, who appeared in an earlier video by the band. As one Youtube poster commented: "It's like they're a new clay-mated daft punk."

Les lapins de l'espace have also made videos for Zuccero and Hawa.

Comett are currently working on their debut album, hopefully surfacing some time in 2012.

The Monkees in Paris

Sad to hear of the death of Davy Jones, one of the Monkees. Despite being a "manufactured" group created for a TV series, they created some great music over the years and had a huge influence.

Their recordings helped define an era and remain classic songs, the TV series endeared them to an audience that went far beyond their initial viewers in the late 60s and live recordings of the band showed them to be a competent and energetic act that would inspire garage rock bands around the world as much as either the Beatles of The Stones.

The Monkees TV show only features one episode filmed on location outside th USA, The Monkees in Paris. The band were not well known in France at the time as the show that made them stars in the US and UK was not shown in France.

The plot sees the band take a holiday to France to get new ideas for the show. The Monkees TV show, for all its apparent 60s stylings, including references to the TV show they were on, directly addressing the audience, inventive editing, owed much to techniques that had been pioneered in preceding years by French cinema.

The episode featured many chase scenes through the streets of Paris as the band are pursued by girls and fans. There's not much other than this to the plot, but some great scenes of Paris in the late 60s. There are certainly some very bewildered passers by at the Les Halles market.

Filmed in June 1967, it was one of the later episodes of the show, before their full length film Head, regarded by many as a classic of its era.

France was chosen as a location ironically because it would have been difficult to film in the UK on account of their popularity at the time, and they actually could have been pursued by fans for real.



However, the French connection with the Monkees continued with the track The French Song, a tribute to French chanson by the band, recorded on their 1969 album The Monkees Present with Davy Jones on vocals.

It was their eighth album, and came out when the band were a three piece following the departure of Peter Tork. The best known song on the album was the song Listen to the Band

It would be their last album with Mike Nesmith, and following this release the band would continue as a due of Jones and Micky Dolenz for one last album before their 80s reunion.

For their apparent artificiality, the Monkees somehow captured a less cynical, innocent and fun era of music.

Editorial: March 2012

Another month gets under way at Vive le Roq HQ, as we tidy up and smarten ourselves up again after the biggest number of visitors to the site in a month we've ever had.

Despite February being the shortest month, it's been the busiest one yet for the site.

While we've ratcheted up the number of stories produced, the number of visitors has gone up even more, so thanks again to all who have dropped by.

While the beginning of the year is traditionally a quiet one for releases, there has been plenty to keep me busy with award ceremonies and France's subsequent international triumph with The Artist. Add to this Madonna's new single - pretty much a Martin Solveig record that just features her vocals - being launched at the Superbowl, probably the US's most watched TV event, and the success of Justice and M83, there's no denying that French music is in a good place right now.

The award continue this month with the Victoires de la Musique coming up in the next couple of days, and more interesting releases coming up soon.

So it promises to be an interesting month ahead. Stick around and I'm sure we'll have somthing you'll enjoy.

As always I can be contacted by email on johnkilbrideAThotmailDOTcom. just change the words for the symbol or the dot.

Merci et à bientôt

jk

Alan Stivell: A l'Olympia 40th anniversary

Breton musician Alan Stivell has marked the 40th anniversary of his A l'Olympia album and concert with a special show in Paris.

On February 16 he played a special show at the Olympia venue in Paris, with guests Nolwenn Leroy and guitarist Dan Ar Braz among others.

Stivell's 1972 album marked a turning point in the mainstream popularity of Breton music, taking it from a specialised folk audience to a more widespread audience.

The album showed that Breton music not only had a heritage, but also had a future.

The release also came at the prefect time, coming as it did at a time when an increased interest in celtic culture was developing and when a rock audience, by this point well versed in more progressive musical developments, was able to embrace more sophisticated ideas.

The Breton language, which must have been unfamiliar to many who bought the album, was unlikely to have been much of an obstacle to the sophisticated early 70s rock fan. Remember that this was an era when Magma - France's biggest prog band - was performing in Kobain, their own language.

The fact that it was also a live album would also have been in its favour, as during that era the live album was a marker of musical authenticity, allowing the artist to present their work in its natural environment and untainted by the commercial pressures and compromises of the studio.

An anniversary of a recording that marked a revival of Breton culture gives an opportunity to reflect on how things have changed in the years since.

While in matters of politics there has been no dramatic changes - Brittany is no closer to Independence than it was in 1972, unlike in Scotland where a referendum on the issue is imminent - there's no denying that Breton culture is now not only accepted in France but it is also a source of pride in Brittany itself.

Alan Stivell has released a 2CD collection that combines a remastered version of the A l'Olympia with a disc that features a selection of his best known songs from his long career.

Francis Cabrel: Je t'aimais, je t'aime, je t'aimerai

While this blog covers French music both new and old, I enjoy the occasional link to a song that perhaps ties in to a particular day or occasion, so given St Valentine's day I thought this song appropriate.

Cabrel is a hugely talented singer-songwriter who has been releasing material since the late 70s. This song originally came out as a single in 1994 and on his Samedi soir sur la terre album, the album winning the Best Album award at the Victoires de la Musique that year, and the single winning the Trophée RFI/ Conseil de la Francophonie award.

Throughout his career he has been a socially aware performer, dealing with political issues such as immigration, exclusion, religion and has performed concerts for charity supporting children with HIV and Les Restaurants du cœur.

Cabrel's most recent release was the 2008 album Des roses et des orties.

Je t'aimais, je t'aime, je t'aimerai is a wonderful track, that is not only a very fine love song, but also a great lesson in the conjugation of the verb 'aimer' at no extra charge.

1995: La Suite

A track by hotly tipped French rappers 1995 ahead of their new release next month.

The band - a six piece featuring five MCs and a DJ - Alpha Wann, Areno Jaz, Fonky Flav’, Lo’, Nek le Fennek and Sneazzy - quickly became the name to watch in French hip hop since their debut release last year.

Their first release La Source came out in June 2011.

The band takes their name from the year that saw the Wu Tang Clan break into the mainstream and change the face of rap, while the file La Haine took the issues of the banlieues to the big screen.

Their music is and imaginative and innovative funky flow, and that band looks set to be the next big name to emerge from the French hip hop underground to mainstream attention.

The album, also called La Suite, is released on March 5.

Charts: David Guetta - Turn Me On

With David Guetta hitting the number one place in the UK Official Singles Chart with Titanium I thought I'd give a mention to his most recent single, Turn Me On.

This new track is also in the UK Top 40, at number 33, another track Without You just outside the Top 40 at number 42.

Turn Me On is the fifth track to be taken from last year's Nothing But The Beat album as a single, and features Nicki Minaj on vocals.

With Minaj best known for her eccentric styled rapping, it's quite a different vocal performance on this track.

The video, which emerged at the end of January 2012, is a big budget steampunk fantasy which, like the best music videos, both compliments the song and adds another dimension to it.

Minaj's appearance with Madonna at the US Superbowl with Madonna will probably give the song's sales another boost, although a link to the biggest sporting event on US TV is probably just another small step in Guetta's seemingly indefatigable world domination campaign.

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Next

February 4 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Alex Harvey, a Scottish singer who at the peak of his powers in the 1970s was one of rock music's greatest frontmen.

He also was a key interpreter of Jacques Brel, his version of Next introducing the Belgian's music to a whole new audience.

For those like myself who first heard Harvey's version of the song, it remains the definitive version of the track.

Brel's earthy but dramatic style suited Harvey down to the ground. Before hitting the big time with the Sensational Alex Harvey band in the 1970s, Harvey had been an solo artist whose career had been met with only limited success, and he had put in a lengthy period working in musical theatre in London, specifically with the hippie musical Hair, where he worked for five years.

But his fortunes changed when he hooked up with Scottish progressive band Teargas, becoming the Sensational Alex Harvey Band in 1972.

The band enjoyed a successful run in the 70s, including a hit single with Delilah in the UK. They combined a style that was both appealing to serious rock fans, lyrically literate and musically adventurous, and with Harvey the band had a commanding front man.

His work was shot through with humour, dark and soaked through with the blues, and sung with a proud Scottish accent.

Harvey left the SAHB in 1976, the band issued an album without him, although he got back together with them for a final album Rock Drill in 1978.

Harvey went on to work with other musicians, but never re-discovered the popularity or the critical acclaim that the Sensational Alex Harvey enjoyed, with health problems and drink-related issues plaguing his later years.

Harvey died of a heart attack on February 4 1982 in Zeebrugge, Belgium.

However, while he might never have attained the commercial success of some of the acts of the 1970s, he is remembered to this day as one of Scotland's greatest ever rock stars.